Single nozzle fluid device

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a fluid flow device for a spout or a spout-end which is designed to produce a single laminar flow stream that is substantially splash-less at normal fluid flow rates. The device embodies a plurality of screens which are intimately in contact with each other and arranged to be spherical or concaval in shape, together with a strainer which is positioned up-stream of the screens. The housing for the screens and the strainer is so shaped that the fluid passing the screens is pointed-toward the center or axis of the device.

United States Patent 1191 Parkison [541 SINGLE NOZZLE FLUID DEVICE [76] Inventor: Richard G. Parkison, 309 Monohan Drive, Louisville, Jefferson, Ky.

221 Filed: Sept. 20, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 182,263

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 735,138, June 6, 1967,

[4 1 May 1,1973

3,642,213 2 1972 Parkison ..'..239 553 x FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 13,724 6/1914 Great Britain .,..239/391 1,188,444 3/1965 Germany ..239/428.5

Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, .lr. Assistant Examiner-Michael Mar Attorney.lefferson Ehrlich 57 ABSTRACT This invention relates to a fluid flow device for a spout or a spout-end which is designed to produce a single laminar flow stream that is substantially splash-less at normal fluid flow rates. The device embodies a plurality of screens which are intimately in contact with each other and arranged to be spherical or concaval in shape, together with a strainer which is positioned upw stream of the screens. The housing for the screens and the strainer is so shaped that the fluid passing the screens is pointed-toward the center or axis of the I device.

15 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures like have been quite commonly used but the conventional flow device in ordinary use fails to produce a laminar flow or a splash-less stream. However, two types of improvements have gained popularity for reducing splash, one of which is generally known as an aerator because it introduced a certain amount of air into the fluid stream, and the other device, sometimes called a rosette, customarily employs a so-called fluid straightener.

It is well-known that the aerator produces a coordinated stream and that, in general, the coordinated stream contains about one-half air when measured by volume. The velocity, therefore, of the aerated stream is about twice the velocity of the stream if it did not contain the air component. The velocity is one of the main factors to influence the splash characteristics of the stream. The higher the velocity, the greater will be the amount of the splash, and vice versa. Moreover, a container, such as a glass, filled with aerated water, is often deceptive in appearance because it is full of air bubbles and, before the bubbles are fully dissipated, the glass will contain only about one-half water. The

aerated device consequently has its limitations and disadvantages.

With regard to the stream straightener, it serves to direct the existing stream through the exit port. However, a spout or spout-end for a faucet of a lavatory or kitchen sink quite often has an abrupt turn downward at or near its end. Hence the usual stream straightener directs the stream from the turbulence-producing bend near the end of the spout into a desired path for the emitting stream. Notwithstanding the use of the straightener, the stream at the port exit remains quite turbulent and considerable splashing will occur at the normal flow rates when the stream strikes the base of the sink or lavatory or when it strikes the objects being rinsed.

It is an object of this invention to produce a fluid flow device for use, for example, in spouts or spout-ends for kitchens and lavatories, which will be capable of emitting a laminar and splash-less stream of fluid.

It is another object of this invention to devise a fluid flow device having laminar and splash-less properties but which will be easy to manufacture and low in cost so that it may have more widespread approval.

In order to carry out the principles and objects of this invention, there will be described, as one embodiment, a relatively simple form of fluid flow device for a spout or spout-end which will emit a splash-less and laminar stream. The construction according to this invention will include a housing chamfered or ledged so that it will seat a plurality of conventional screens in spherical or concaval configurations. The screens will be larger in size than the opening into which they are to be received and they will be pressed into the opening so as to establish the sphericity or concavity required. Moreover, s strainer will preferably be mounted in a retaining ring up-stream of the plurality of screens. In addition, the body of the device will be so contoured that, as the fluid flows past the screens, the contours of the body will point the emitted stream toward the axis of the device. This arrangement will be relatively simple to manufacture and its cost will be relatively low.

This invention and its objects and features will be better understood from the more detailed description hereinafter following when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 illustrates a lateral elevation, partly in section, of a form of fluid flow device for a spout or spout-end to carry out the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a bottom plan view of the device of FIG. 1 such as would be observed when viewing the device along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the screens and their relative orientations such as may be viewed along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a top plan view of the strainer which may be employed in the practice of this invention and as it may be viewed along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1;

and FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 may be regarded as together comprising an exploded view of the fluid flow device of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 illustrating a perspective of the body of the device, FIG. 6 showing the individual screens, and FIG. 7 the strainer construction. Throughout the drawing the same reference characters will be employed to designate the same or similar parts.

Referring to the drawing and especially to FIG. 1, a fluid flow device is shown including a body 10, the external edges of which are fluted or serrated as shown at 12. The body may be made of any material whether metallic or non-metallic but is preferably made of a plastic material. The body 10 is externally threaded as shown at 14 for connection to the end of a spout for a fitting for a kitchen sink lavatory or other fixture. Internally of the body 10 are a plurality of screens, three of which are shown in the illustration, and they are designated 22, 24 and 26. These screens are shown as spherically or concavally oriented about an axis which substantially coincides wihh the axis of the body 10. They are seated on a chamfer 30 which provides a peripheral ledge within the inner wall of the housing 10. The arrangement also embodies a strainer 32 which is held within a retainer 34. The retainer 34 is seated on the peripheral region of the upper-most screen 26 as shown, for example, by FIG. 1.

The inner wall of the body 10 provides a number of steps to the exiting port of the body. It will be observed from FIG. 1, for example, that the ledge or chamfer 30 is adjacent to a vertical wall 40 immediately downstream of the ledge or chamfer 30, and that the vertical wall 40 is followed in order, by another step 42 which is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical segment 40, and by the exiting wall or port of the body 10 which is substantially vertical and designated 44.

The strainer 32 is any well-known strainer fitted into any retaining ring such as 34. The strainer may be made of any material preferably brass, while the retaining ring 34 made be made of plastic, for example.

The screens 22, 24 and 26 are normally flat screens of, for example, 24 mesh. In one form of construction built according to this invention, the three screens were circular in shape and had a diameter of 0.85 inches while the inner upper wall 50 of the body 10 had a diameter of about 0.82 inches. Hence the screens were oversized with respect to the diameter of the inner wall 50. The screens were therefore pressed into position as may be accomplished by thumb pressure, for example. When so pressed into position, the screens 22, 24 and 26 assume a concaval or spherical formation, as shown, the axis of which is substantially concident with the axis of the body 10. The screens 22, 24 and 26 are preferably made of metal such as bronze, brass, inconel or stainless steel. Furthermore, the three screens are relatively rotated with respect to each other so that their cross-meshes assume different non-parallel orientations as shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 and 6.

The inclined inner wall section 42 should have a very carefully selected angular orientation such as for example, 30. The inclined inner wall section 42 is one of the most important segments of the step formation on the inner side of the body 10. The steps of the arrangement 30, 40, 42 and 44, are peripherally set within the body 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and and serve to point or deflect the stream of fluid passing through the device toward the center or axis of device 10. In addition, this stepped arrangement has been found to diminish or absorb irregularities which would otherwise adversely affect the smoothness or laminarity of the fluid discharged from the device.

One of the main functions of the strainer 32 is to filter out any significant foreign material which is carried by the fluid traversing the spout before exiting from the fluid flow device 10. The strainer 32, as well as the screens 22, 24 and 26, may be removed from time to time for cleaning or other purposes and then reinserted or, if necessary, replaced. This can be done rather easily because of the simplicity of the composite structures and their simple assembly or dis-assembly. The strainer 32 may be readily lifted by any well-known means and thereafter the screens may be subjected to some manual pressure to release them from the confined inner space of the body 10 for cleaning or other purposes.

In an arrangement that was previously built according to this invention, the vertical inner wall 44 had a diameter of about 0.65 inches and the external diameter of the body 10 was about 0.937 inches. The overall vertical dimension of the body 10 was about 0.5 inches. The three screens 22, 24 and 26, when seated in place as shown in FIG. I. has a spherical or concaval radius of about 1 inch and they were symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of the housing I0. The screens were in intimate contact with each other.

The arrangement described hereinabove, when connected to a spout in a kitchen or lavatory plumbing fixture, provides a single laminar flow stream that will be substantially splashless at normal flow rates. The pattern of the emitting stream was found to be much smoother than the stream normally provided by aerator devices or by fluid straighteners of the type above referred to.

The screens 22, 24 and 26 should have perforations which are not too large but large enough to avoid clogging". Too large a perforation would materially affect the effectiveness of the stream pattern. Although three screens are shown and described hereinabove, it will be apparent that any number of screens similarly arranged and oriented would be suitable to carry out the principles of this invention. Although the screens of the device built had No. 24 mesh, other mesh sizes such as sizes Nos. 16 to 40 would be satisfactory for the screens.

Although the arrangement embodies a strainer 32 and its retaining ring 34 for the purpose of distributing the flow substantially evenly over the entire area of the device, the strainer is not indispensable to the practice of this invention. It may therefore be omitted if so desired.

Although the segment 42 was found to be suitable when its angle with the vertical axis is about 30, the arrangement will operate substantially as well when other angles ranging from about 15 to 45 are employed.

Although the screens 22, 24 and 26 are shown as spherical or concaval in shape, their curvature may be increased or decreased within limits. Some improvement in the flow pattern will be achieved even if flat screens are substituted in the assembled device, but the improvement will be greatest at a predetermined curvature of these screens. The screens. The screens also aid in pointing the flow path toward the axis of housing 10.

Although the wall section 42 has been described as having an angular orientation of some 30, good flow patterns may be achieved with angular orientations extending over the range of 15 to 45. Furthermore, the area of the exit port 44 should be somewhere between 60 to per cent of the area of the greatest dimension (at wall 50) at the input port. Also, the axial or longitudinal dimension downstream of the chamfer or ledge 30 should exceed about one-sixteenth of an inch. The flow device should be proportioned and designed to emit a stream of fluid which may not exceed a velocity of about four feet per second.

While this invention has been shown and described in certain particular arrangements merely for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that the features and general principles of this invention may be applied to other widely varied organizations without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A substantially laminar non-aerated fluid flow device for use with spouts, comprising a body consisting of an unapertured shell having a downstream discharge outlet through which non-aerated fluid is discharged and having an internal peripheral chamfer or ledge, a plurality of screens which are somewhat larger than the largest dimension of the internal chamfer or ledge, the screens being pressed into the body of the device so as to be in contact with each other and seated on the internal chamfer or ledge and to assume a spherical or concaval configuration above the discharge outlet of the body so that all of the screens are pointed downstream, the axis of said screens substantially coinciding with the axis of the device, the internal wall of the body downstream of the chamfer or ledge being stepped so as to reduce the diameter of the body of the device and thereby point the stream flowing through the screens in the direction of the axis of the device before exiting through the discharge outlet without aeration.

2. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 1 including, in addition, a strainer positioned across the inner wall of the body of the device upstream of the screens.

3. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 1 in which the screens are flat before they are inserted into the body of the device and in close contact with each other but oriented so that their cross-meshes are at different angular relative positions with respect to each other.

4. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 2 in which all of the screens have the same mesh and are substantially in complete contact with each other but are oriented so that their cross-meshes are at different positions relative to each other.

5. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 4 which has the body externally threaded so that it may be attached to a spout for controlling the pattern of the emitted stream.

6. A non-aerated flow device according to claim 5 in which the internal wall of the body of the device downstream of the chamfer or ledge includes two peripheral walls both of which are substantially parallel to the axis of the device and an intermediate wall therebetween forming an angle which is in the range of to 45.

7. A non-aerated flow device according to claim 6 in which the angular wall between the two walls which parallel the axis of the device has an angle of approximately 8. A non-aerated flow device according to claim 7 in which the screens and the strainer are made of metal and the body of the device is made of plastic.

9. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 6, the device being circular in cross-section and having its discharge outlet of an area which is between 60 to 90 per cent of the cross-sectional area at the largest intemal dimension of the body of the device.

10. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 9 in which the length of the device downstream of the chamfer or ledge is at least one-sixteenth of an inch in length but not more than about one-half inch.

11. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 10 in which the screens are substantially contiguous to each other throughout their spherical or concaval curvatures.

12. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 11, in which the meshes of the screens are of a common predetermined size so that the average velocity of fluid flow through the discharge outlet cannot exceed four feet per second.

13. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment comprising a body consisting of an unapertured shell having a downstream discharge outlet through which non-aerated fluid is discharged and having an internal ledge upstream of the faucet exit, a plurality of screens all of which are stacked on said ledge and closely adjacent to each other and curved so as to be pointed axially downstream toward the discharge outlet when so stacked, and a strainer positioned upstream of said screens, the fluid flowing through the screens being deflected toward the axis of the body before exiting through the discharge outlet without aeration.

14. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment according to claim 13, in which the internal wall of the body is tapered downstream of the screens so that fluid flow therethrough will be additionally pointed in the downstream direction.

15. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment according to claim 14, in which the cross meshes of the screens are randomly oriented at different positions with respect to each other while remaining stacked on the ledge.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,730,439 Dated May 1, 1973 Inventor(s) RICHARD G. PARKISON It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet, insert [73] Assignee American Standard Inc. New York, N.Y; a corporation of Delaware I Also on the cover sheet, [63] should read as follows: Continuation of Ser. No. 735,138, June 6 1968, now' abandoned Signed and-sealed this 6th day of August 1974.

. (SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSON, JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 U. 5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 0-356-334. 

1. A substantially laminar non-aerated fluid flow device for use with spouts, comprising a body consisting of an unapertured shell having a downstream discharge outlet through which non-aerated fluid is discharged and having an internal peripheral chamfer or ledge, a plurality of screens which are somewhat larger than the largest dimension of the internal chamfer or ledge, the screens being pressed into the body of the device so as to be in contact with each other and seated on the internal chamfer or ledge and to assume a spherical or concaval configuration above the discharge outlet of the body so that all of the screens are pointed downstream, the axis of said screens substantially coinciding with the axis of the device, the internal wall of the body downstream of the chamfer or ledge being stepped so as to reduce the diameter of the body of the device and thereby point the stream flowing through the screens in the direction of the axis of the device before exiting through the discharge outlet without aeration.
 2. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 1 including, in addition, a strainer positioned across the inner wall of the body of the device upstream of the screens.
 3. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 1 in which the screens are flat before they are inserted into the body of the device and in close contact with each other but oriented so that their cross-meshes are at different angular relative positions with respect to each other.
 4. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 2 in which all of the screens have the same mesh and are substantially in complete contact with each other but are oriented so that their cross-meshes are at different positions relative to each other.
 5. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 4 which has the body externally threaded so that it may be attached to a spout for controlling the pattern of the emitted stream.
 6. A non-aerated fLow device according to claim 5 in which the internal wall of the body of the device downstream of the chamfer or ledge includes two peripheral walls both of which are substantially parallel to the axis of the device and an intermediate wall therebetween forming an angle which is in the range of 15* to 45*.
 7. A non-aerated flow device according to claim 6 in which the angular wall between the two walls which parallel the axis of the device has an angle of approximately 30*.
 8. A non-aerated flow device according to claim 7 in which the screens and the strainer are made of metal and the body of the device is made of plastic.
 9. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 6, the device being circular in cross-section and having its discharge outlet of an area which is between 60 to 90 per cent of the cross-sectional area at the largest internal dimension of the body of the device.
 10. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 9 in which the length of the device downstream of the chamfer or ledge is at least one-sixteenth of an inch in length but not more than about one-half inch.
 11. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 10 in which the screens are substantially contiguous to each other throughout their spherical or concaval curvatures.
 12. A non-aerated fluid flow device according to claim 11, in which the meshes of the screens are of a common predetermined size so that the average velocity of fluid flow through the discharge outlet cannot exceed four feet per second.
 13. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment comprising a body consisting of an unapertured shell having a downstream discharge outlet through which non-aerated fluid is discharged and having an internal ledge upstream of the faucet exit, a plurality of screens all of which are stacked on said ledge and closely adjacent to each other and curved so as to be pointed axially downstream toward the discharge outlet when so stacked, and a strainer positioned upstream of said screens, the fluid flowing through the screens being deflected toward the axis of the body before exiting through the discharge outlet without aeration.
 14. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment according to claim 13, in which the internal wall of the body is tapered downstream of the screens so that fluid flow therethrough will be additionally pointed in the downstream direction.
 15. A substantially laminar non-aerated faucet attachment according to claim 14, in which the cross meshes of the screens are randomly oriented at different positions with respect to each other while remaining stacked on the ledge. 